If an app asks for your Apple ID password during the restore process, make sure that you enter it. Some apps, like iTunes, need your password before they can restore content purchased in those apps. If you purchased content on multiple Apple IDs, enter the password for each Apple ID when prompted.

Sometimes the restore process might look complete, but your device is still downloading information in the background. To check this, tap Settings > [your name] > iCloud > iCloud Backup. If your device is still being restored, you see “This [device] is currently being restored and will automatically back up when it is done.”

About your apps, music, movies, and TV shows

The content that you buy from iTunes, the App Store, and Apple Books lives in iCloud. But iCloud Backup includes only information about that content, not the content itself. After you restore from iCloud Backup, your purchased content automatically downloads again from the iTunes Store, App Store, or Books Store. Availability of iTunes redownloads varies by country or region. Previous purchases might be unavailable when they've been refunded or aren't available in the store anymore. Some previously purchased movies might not be available for redownload from iTunes.

For some third-party apps, you might need to download data from the app provider again.

If you use iTunes Match (where available), you can use it to download previously matched or uploaded songs, albums, or playlists to your device. To recover content that wasn't purchased from the iTunes Store or isn't available through iTunes Match, sync your device using iTunes on a computer that has your content.

To recover content purchased with a different Apple ID, sign in with the Apple ID associated with that purchase.

About your photos

When you use iCloud Photos, your photos and videos automatically upload to iCloud. They aren’t included in your nightly backup. After you restore your device from iCloud Backup, stay connected to Wi-Fi so that your photos and videos can begin to download.

If you haven’t turned on iCloud Photos, iCloud Backup may include photos and videos in your Photos or Camera Roll. Not sure if iCloud Photos was turned on when you made the backup? After you restore your device, check Settings > [your name] >iCloud > Photos. If iCloud Photos is turned on, then the photos were stored in iCloud Photos.

If the photos and videos were included in the backup, they’ll download to your iOS device in the background when you restore. Stay connected to Wi-Fi until the process finishes. The time it takes to restore depends on the size of your backup and the speed of your Wi-Fi network.

About iCloud Drive

If you can't find your iWork documents after you restore your device, go to iCloud.com and check in the iCloud Drive app.

About your Calendar and Contact data

When Calendar and Contact information restores from iCloud Backup, your settings and old data restore first. Then, iCloud pushes your updated Calendar and Contact data to your device, overwriting the old data. This update happens automatically and usually occurs before you notice the old data.

About your Mail and Notes data

Since your Mail already lives in iCloud, it isn't included in iCloud Backup. iCloud Backup does include the settings for your iCloud email account and any other email accounts on your device. After you restore from iCloud Backup, iCloud and your other email providers replace your available email messages. So you can pick up where you left off.

If you set up your device to store Notes in iCloud, iCloud sends those notes to your device after the restore process finishes. To find storage options for Notes in iOS 10.3 or later, tap Settings > [your name] > iCloud.

Notes data stored by a third-party service (like Microsoft Exchange) isn't backed up to iCloud. Contact the provider of that service for information about how to retrieve your data.

About your Messages and Voice Memos data

With Messages in iCloud and Voice Memos in iCloud*, your text messages and voice recordings automatically upload to iCloud. They aren’t included in your backup. After you restore your device from iCloud Backup, stay connected to Wi-Fi so that your text messages and voice recordings can download.

If you turn off Messages in iCloud, your text messages and attachments no longer upload automatically, but they save in your next iCloud Backup and download in the background when you restore. Stay connected to Wi-Fi until the process finishes. The time it takes to restore depends on the size of your backup and the speed of your Wi-Fi.

Sometimes, if you restore a device from a backup of another kind of device, your Messages and Voice Memos won’t restore. For example, if you use an iPad backup to restore an iPhone, your Messages and Voice Memos may not appear on the iPhone.

*If you use iOS 11 or earlier, or macOS High Sierra or earlier, your Voice Memos are included in iCloud Backup, not iCloud.

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